Still searching for flavour

This has been a truly momentous week in politics, with the good people of Zimbabwe finally suggesting it is time for the curtain to fall on the Bob and Grace show, and the president of Angola showing the red card to Isabel dos Santos, the former president’s daughter and Africa’s richest woman, at the state oil company Sonangol.

Fans of the theory that good things come in threes may be looking for last orders to be called at the Saxonwold Shebeen, or some other sign that the beloved country is getting back to the straight and narrow path.

However, in the absence of any such cause for celebration, the gaze wanders over to the travails of Gold Brands Investments and its continuing struggle to bring the wonders of the braai to the stomachs of the populace.

The quick-service restaurant market as a whole has been struggling due to the lack of disposable income in the consumer’s wallet. Gold Brands is no exception, with revenues tumbling a mighty 72.6% after widespread closures of nonperforming stores. The company reported a small loss, and going concern remains an issue.

Amid all the gloom, however, Gold Brands has announced its intention to open four Chesanyama stores in the UK in the coming year, a move that could lead to linguistic confusion among the indigenous population.

In the local market it is set to launch the Latin American brand Las Iguanas and the French bistro chain Café Rouge, and it has acquired American-themed Ed’s Diner.

There’s a lot going on, but Gold Brands needs to get onto a sound economic footing.